Hurricane Beryl Turns Category 4 Storm As It Nears Caribbean. See Photos

Hurricane Beryl intensified into a Category 4 hurricane, deemed extremely dangerous by forecasters, as it pressed toward the southern Caribbean late on Sunday. In response, officials in the affected regions urged residents to seek shelter.

The storm is predicted to make landfall in the Windward Islands on Monday morning. Barbados, St. Lucia, Grenada, Tobago, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines are all under a hurricane warning. The United States National Hurricane Center in Miami has issued warnings, stating that Beryl is forecast to bring life-threatening winds and storm surge.

As of late Sunday, Beryl’s center was located approximately 150 miles (240 km) southeast of Barbados. The storm was traveling west at 20 mph (31 kph) with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph (215 kph). Despite its compact size, Beryl’s hurricane-force winds extend 30 miles (45 km) from its center.

In addition to the hurricane warnings, Martinique and Trinidad are under a tropical storm warning. A tropical storm watch has been issued for the entire southern coast of Haiti, Dominica, and the Dominican Republic, extending westward from Punta Palenque to the border with Haiti. Beryl is expected to move just south of Barbados early on Monday before making landfall as a powerful hurricane in the Caribbean Sea and continuing its path towards Jamaica. The storm is predicted to maintain hurricane strength as it moves towards Mexico, although it is expected to weaken by midweek.